ing army and throwing them too into confusion; and though the officers fired among them to compel them to turn and advance again, the panic spread, and soon the whole army was in disordered flight and the greater part of it scattered. The day his body was brought into Guatemala all the road for miles out was lined with people, mostly of the lower classes, weeping and sorrowful. His widow left Guatemala directly after the funeral for New York, where Barrios owned a fine house in Fifth avenue. lie had been for some time put- ting his money into American securities and mortgaging all his property in the country. His son, by a special act of congress, is a cadet at the U. S. military academy. No doubt some of Barrios's measures were harsh and at times even cruel, but they attained their end as no other measures could. His cruelties have been enormously exaggerated and the wildest tales have been invented about him ; and in those cases where cruelty can be clearly proved it can generally be traced rather to his lieutenants than directly to himself. Still, he probably did not care to examine too closely into the manner in which his orders were carried out by his subordinates so long as his end was gained. He took the keenest interest in all that concerned his army, and his troops were better dressed, better equipped, and better disciplined than is usually the case in Spanish-American states. There were many barracks in the capital, most of them in the immediate neighborhood of his palace, and there were usually from three to four thousand troops in the city. He organized a system of militia throughout the country, so that every man was drilled except the pure Indians, and these local militia were called out once or twice a month for exercise and drill on Sunday mornings. By this means he had a force of from 20,000 to 30,000 men ready. He made the city of Guatemala one of the cleanest, pleasantest, and most habitable cities in Spanish America, and furnished it with a good and efficient police, bringing an inspector from New York to organize it. He sent men to the United States to study post-office and telegraph management, and reorganized those services thoroughly with the experience thus gained. Before Barrios's time there was no telegraph in Guatemala. He built the first railway in the country, and also began the northern railroad to establish communication with the Atlantic coast. In order to make this enterprise national he decreed that every Guatemalan earning over $8 a month must be a stockholder. He built safe bridges, made and improved many of the chief roads, and did innumerable things of the kind. He spoke no language but Spanish, but he fully appreciated the value of various kinds of knowledge in others. He took great interest in the colleges and schools, and did much for education all over the country. One of his latest decrees was to the effect that no one should be admitted to practise as a lawyer or a doctor who had not passed a sufficient examination in English and French. He owned estates all over the country, cattle haciendas, coffee plantations, houses, and every sort of property worth having, and was proud of their condition, trying to set an example of proper cultivation and management to other people. He established the institutes of Quezaltenango and Chiquimula and a normal school department in that of the capital, founded the industrial and agriculture schools, built street railways in the city of Guatemala, a penitentiary in the capital and another m Quezaltenango according to the modern system, and made many improvements in the national theatre and other public buildings. Personally he was a man of simple tastes and habits, rising early, dining simply, and living in most respects like a soldier. His extravagances were in horses and estates. He was of mixed Spanish and Indian blood, and the Indian rather predominated in his countenance. He was short, with dark complexion.
BARRITT, Frances Fuller, poet, b. in Rome, N. Y., in 1826. Under her maiden name, Frances Fuller, she early won repute as a writer. She lived
with her parents, moving westward from her birthplace successively to western Pennsylvania, Ohio,
and Michigan. In the latter state she married. In
1855 she went farther west with her husband, but
subsequently returned to New York city. When
only fourteen years old, she began writing for publication, and at twenty-two was a favorite contributor of the "Home Journal," under the management of N. P. Willis. "Azlea," a tragedy, was written about this time, and published in 1851 in a volume entitled "Poems of Imagination and Sentiment," by herself and her sister Metta (Mrs. Victor), edited by Rufus W. Griswold.
BARROETA Y ANGEL, Pedro Antonio (bar-ro-ay -tah), Spanish prelate, b. in Ezcaray, Logrono, about 1700; d. in Grenada, Spain, 22 May, 1775. He studied theology at Cuenca, and soon became noted for his learning. After filling several high offices at Coria and Malaga he was appointed archbishop of Lima, and consecrated 25 June, 1751. He at once began to promote reforms among the clergy and in the church administration, devoting himself entirely to that purpose and to charity. Barroeta distributed all his revenues among the needy, and when transferred to the see of Grenada, in 1758, he was so poor that his brother had to pay the expenses of the voyage.
BARRON, James, naval officer, b. in Virginia in 1709; d. in Norfolk, Va., 21 April, 1851. Com. Barron is chiefly known to the present generation
from his encounter when in command of the "Chesapeake" with the British frigate "Leopard" in time of peace, and the duel in which he killed Com. Decatur. He was a seaman from early boyhood, entered the navy in 1798 as a lieutenant, was promoted captain in 1799, and was commodore when placed in command of the "Chesapeake" (38
guns) in June, 1807. War with France was imminent, and the frigate had been undergoing hasty
repairs at the Washington navy-yard. Her men
and stores were hurried on board, and she sailed
on 22 June, the intention being to clear the decks
and drill the crew during the voyage across the Atlantic. As soon as she was fairly at sea the British frigate "Leopard" (50 guns), which had been waiting for her, ranged alongside, with her crew at quarters, and her captain demanded certain alleged British deserters said to be among the "Chesapeake's" crew. Com. Barron declined to surrender the men, whereupon the "Leopard" opened
fire. By great exertion, a single American gun
was fired by Lieut. Allen, with a live coal brought
from the galley fire: but in the meantime the shot
of the " Leopard " had killed three and wounded
eighteen of the "Chesapeake's" crew. As the one
shot was discharged the American ensign was
hauled down, and after some further parley the
alleged deserters were carried off. The action of
the British captain was repudiated by his government, the "deserters" were formally restored on board the "Chesapeake," and a money indemnity was paid. Popular indignation ran very high. Com. Barron was tried by court-martial, and suspended from rank and pay for five years, though, in point of fact, the blame belonged to the navy
